- Wash with an antibacterial soap each day, and always before dialysis. Do not scratch your skin or pick the scab.
- Check for redness, a feeling of excess warmth, or the beginning of a pimple on any area of your access.
- Ask your dialysis care team to rotate the needles when you have your dialysis treatment.
Caring For Your Access
Whether your access is a fistula, graft or catheter, you should make sure to take good care of it. Your dialysis care team will teach you the steps of good access care. Below are some general tips about everyday access care and how to prevent problems.
Fistula or graft
Catheter
- Keep catheter dressing clean and dry.
- Make sure the area of the access is cleaned and the dressing is changed by your care team at each dialysis session.
- Keep an emergency dressing kit at home in case you need to change your dressing between treatments.
- Never open your catheter to the air.
